When I first came across Motion City Soundtrack, I fell in love with the overblown poppiness of ‘I am the Movie’ even though it did include some tracks that always get skipped over when playing. It showcased how one band can create music that can be both uplifting and sombre in the same instance. ‘Commit this To Memory’ built up from this foundation, and despite an apparent lack of musical progression since their debut, it was a solid release, and every song was a winner.
Two years on, and ‘Even if it Kills Me’ continues in the same vein. One thing that really needs mentioning here, is that some of the songs here really are the best that Minnesota’s power-pop heroes have written. I refuse anyone to listen to ‘This is for Real’ and not enjoy themselves, while ‘Last Night’ and ‘It had to be you’ showcase some of Justin Pierre’s sharpest lyrics.
Despite the cringe-worthy key change in opener ‘Fell in Love Without You’, (it’s probably best to just pretend they didn’t do that), and a forgettable ballad in the form of ‘The Conversation’, it’s a generally solid effort from MCS. It’s true that things haven’t gone far since their last efforts, and there’s no dramatic ‘maturity’ with Even if it Kills me, but more of the same from MCS can hardly be a bad thing.
Andy R